Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The essentials
At this end of the market you can sometimes find some of the features you'd come to expect from smartphones are missing – the omission of 4G on the original Moto E is the perfect example. So here I'm going to head into the nitty-gritty of all the other features you'd expect to find on a smartphone.
The big addition here is the 4G connectivity. Adding in the feature is a major boost to the handset and a necessary one considering the amount of people now using 4G internet is now large and only set to keep growing.
Then there's storage – you've only got one choice when picking up the Moto E and that's a limited 8GB of storage. After you factor in space for the operating system and key apps there is only 5GB left to play with.
That means you're limited to the amount of apps, music and video you can add in on top of that. You can throw in a microSD card up to 32GB to make up for it though offering a lot more space but it's a shame Motorola hasn't upped the normal storage a little more to get in 16GB of space.
The truth is you're going to need to get a microSD unless you're happy with using your space very frugally. Even after installing what I consider to be the core apps I use every couple of days, I'd be nearing the top end of the limit and need some extra space – let alone transferring my burgeoning Spotify discography over.
I'm a stickler for keyboards and often find myself uploading a third-party offering at the earliest possible moment. The Motorola version wasn't necessary as it has Swype support built in meaning a quicker input as well as a clear and easy to use.
The Moto E (2015) takes a microSIM card and comes with all the connectivity options you'll ever going to need including Wi-FI 802.11, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and an FM Radio thrown in for good measure.
Connectivity is now a full set of specs considering Motorola threw in the 4G LTE abilities on top of what was already there - congrats Moto.
Camera
Let's be honest, you're not buying the Moto E (2015) for a top end camera now are you? If you are you'll be a little upset when you finally get it home. There's a 5MP sensor on the rear offering 2592 x 1944 pixels with autofocus on top as well.
Considering the amount you're spending it's a pretty good set up. Taking images in good lighting caused no issues and autofocus kicked in right away when I needed it to.
The zoom had some real issues – I didn't like how grainy it got at 2x zoom even though it goes all the way up to a 4x zoom. I wouldn't want to be taking photos with the zoom at all; here's an example with my good friend Pikachu.
The lighting changes dramatically by putting it on 2x zoom and the quality goes a long way down hill.
Video recording it possible at 720p with 30fps – nothing stunning but it'll suffice when you want to take a quick little snippet of something.
A new addition here is the front facing camera. Motorola made a mistake omitting the selfie snapper on the first Moto E considering how big the narcissistic craze has become so it's added on a VGA version to take those front facing snaps in a jiffy.
Again nothing is going to blow you away here but it's enough to get a quick snap to send via Snapchat or throw onto Instagram in a hurry.
It's a shame Motorola didn't dig a little deeper and make a more impressive front facing camera but the fact it has even been added this time around is enough to pacify our complaints.
Camera samples
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
